Side bets in casino wagering &#34;war&#34; game

ABSTRACT

A casino game is played with playing cards in a live or electronic virtual format. A player places at least an ante wager. The ante wager for each player is resolved on the basis of the relative rank of a first playing card dealt to the player and a first playing card dealt to the dealer. The player wins on the ante wager if the player&#39;s first card relative rank is higher than the dealer&#39;s first card rank, the player loses the ante wager if the player&#39;s first card relative rank is lower than the dealer&#39;s first card rank, and the player enters a tie hand competition event if the player&#39;s first card rank and the dealer&#39;s first card rank are the same. The player has the ability to place at least one side bet wager before seeing both the dealer&#39;s first card and the player&#39;s first card on an event in which: a) the total point count for the player&#39;s first card and the dealer&#39;s first card are within a player selected range of at least three total point count ranges from which the player may select; and b) that the point spread between the dealer&#39;s first card and the player&#39;s first card will exceed a minimum difference.

RELATED APPLICATIONS DATA

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. Nos. 10/764,827; 10/624,994; and 10/624,995, all filed on Jan. 26,2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a wagering card game and moreparticularly to a wagering “war” type game in which ties are possibleand the ties result in further wagering. The present invention alsorelates to video gaming systems that support play of the wagering cardgame.

2. Background of the Art

The card game “war” is a well known parlor game. Players divide astandard deck of cards in two and play head-to-head, one card at a time;until the players run out of cards. This form of the game is notsuitable as a casino game since the outcome is generally not determineduntil completion of a set of cards or until one competitor haspossession of all the cards. Further, the game is not suited for use asa casino type game which requires a house advantage and which alsogenerally requires fast-paced action and frequent betting.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,041 (Boylan) describes a casino variant of the gameof war in which there are defined rules of play, including at least amethod of playing a wagering game between a player or a group ofrespective players and a dealer. The outcome of the game is determinedby randomly generated playing cards having various values. The gamebegins by providing a set of playing cards. Each player makes an antebet. The player(s) and the dealer are each dealt one card successivelyfrom the set of the playing cards. The player cards and dealer cards arecompared individually to determine whether the card of the dealer has agreater rank, a lesser rank or an equal rank to that of the or eachplayer. The antes are paid off to each player if the value of the playercard is greater than the value of the card of the dealer, or (b) thedealer if the value of the card of the dealer is greater than or equalto the value of the card of the or each player. If the value of the cardof the dealer equals that of any player, and a “war” is played, theremay be wagering of a war bet by the tied player. The war game proceedsby dealing successively from the stack at least one further card only totied player(s) and to the dealer. The last cards are compared todetermine whether the further card of the dealer has a greater value, alesser value or an equal value to the further card of the or each tiedplayer. The war is resolved by paying off of the war bet to (a) the oreach tied player if the value of the further card of the tied player isgreater than the value of the card of the dealer, or (b) the dealer ifthe value of the card of the dealer is greater than the value of thecard of the or each tied player. Boylan also teaches a side bet wager onthe occurrence of a tie, much like the tie bet wager in the game ofBaccarat.

In many non-war games, alternative side bet events are known. U.S. Pat.No. 5,895,047 teaches a game with a range of value bet. Wagering innon-war games on a range of point values is also taught in U.S. Pat. No.6,644,666.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present technology and game rules describedherein, a method of playing a wagering game based broadly on the “war”card game is provided. The game is efficiently provided on a stand-alonevideo gaming format, multi-player bank of terminals, on the internet ina live game format and in other electronic formats. The wagering game isplayed between a player or a group of respective players and a dealer,with the outcome determined by randomly generated playing cards havingvarious values (i.e., a standard deck or a plurality of decks of playingcards with ranks of 2 through Ace). In the method, an ante bet is firstmade by each of one or more players and a card is then dealt to eachindividual player and to the dealer by the dealer (or by an electronicvirtual card system making random selections from a virtual deck ofcards). It is then determined whether the card of the dealer has agreater value (rank), a lesser value (rank) or an equal value (rank) tothat of each player. The ante bet is then immediately paid off to (a)each player if the value (rank) of the card of the player is greaterthan the value (rank) of the card of the dealer, or (b) the dealer ifthe value (rank) of the card of the dealer is greater than or equal tothe value (rank) of the card of each player. Additional side bets areprovided, and additional tie events games are provided that may allowfor additional wagers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical video gaming system that cansupport play of the novel game disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a betting display surface for alive or simulated live wagering game according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings in which like numerals represent likeelements, the wagering game of the present invention is preferablyplayed on the video gaming terminal of FIG. 1 or the casino type displaytable layout 10 as depicted in FIG. 2. However, while the presentinvention is explained in the context of a casino game hereinbelow, itwill be appreciated that the wagering game is adaptable for home use, asan electronic game or in a multiplayer casino wagering format using theprinciples discussed. It will also be appreciated that although thewagering game is designed to have the highest rank card designated thewinner, it could instead be the lowest card or there could be othermeans of designating the winning card besides rank.

FIG. 1 illustrates the front of a traditional video poker machine,including a screen display 1, draw/deal button 5, side bet buttons,surrender buttons, and other event specific buttons 12, credit card orticket or player card reader 15, coin slot 20, bet maximum coins button25 and bet one coin button 30. In addition to the external featuresillustrated in FIG. 1, the present invention requires a processor (notshown) with game logic, game rules, random number generator, and wherethere is external monitoring, and external I/O port as to a centralprocessor or financial data bank or comping system for players. Althougha touch screen is the preferred means of selection for player data andgame input, other means, including selection buttons, joy sticks, mouse,and he like may be used.

The table top layout display 10 of FIG. 2 includes, for each of aplurality of players (in this case 7), an area 12 for placing an antebet and an area 14 for placing of a tie bet. The dealer is locatedadjacent a settling means or bank 16, with a shoe 18 containing aplurality of decks (such as eight) of regular playing cards locatedadjacent thereto. Of course, special cards or a different mechanism fordisplaying regular cards (such as electronic) could be used if desired.A similar player position could be virtually displayed on a touch screenin the terminal system of FIG. 1, and the player enters amounts andpositions of wagers and selections by contacting appropriate regions onthe screen.

To play a round of the wagering game, each player initially makes anante bet by placing a suitable token (chip, money, etc.) or tokens onarea 12. Obviously, each player participating must place some ante bet,with a minimum (and possible maximum) ante bet or set ante bet typicallydesignated. At the same time, or alternatively, each player may alsochoose to place a tie bet on area 14, also as designated in the Figure.Additional side bet wagering areas 18, 20 are shown, for convenience, atonly one players area. An alternative format for placing the availableside bets is shown as areas 22, 24, 26, again at a single playerposition for convenience in presenting the figure.

After all (mandatory) ante bets and (optional) tie bets or other sidebets are placed by the players, the dealer then deals one card, face up,to each of the players as well as a face up card to himself. Taking eachplayer in turn, the dealer then determines whether the numerical rank ofthe card of the player is greater than, less than, or equal to the rankof the dealer's card. If the rank of the card of the player is less thanor equal to that of the dealer, the player loses the ante bet which isimmediately collected from area 12 by the dealer. In other words, allties are won by the house. On the other hand, if the rank of the card ofthe player is greater than that of the dealer, the player wins and thedealer immediately pays the player an amount which in this embodiment isequal to the ante bet of that player. In other embodiments, greater thanor less than a 1:1 payout is made. Using eight decks in shoe 18, it willbe appreciated that the dealer hold percentage on ante bets (the amountthe dealer will be expected to win in view of the odds being in hisfavor, due to the dealer winning all ties) will be about 7.47%.

Additionally, if the value of the card of the dealer equals that of anyplayer, or as an option after the ante wager is lost, the tied playerthen (optionally) may wager a further “war” bet that is followed by thedealing of at least one further card to the tied player making theadditional or further bet and at least one further card to the dealer.Then, as before with the originally dealt card, it is determined whetherthe further card of the dealer has a greater value (rank), a lesservalue (rank) or an equal value (rank) to the further card of each tiedplayer making a further wager. Depending on this relative rankdetermination, the further bet is paid off to (a) the tied player if thevalue (rank) of the further card of the tied player is greater than thevalue (rank) of the card of the dealer, or (b) the dealer if the value(rank) of the card of the dealer is greater than the value (rank) of thecard of the tied player who has made the further wager.

The paying off of the further bet (after the tie or war event) alsopreferably includes one of the following steps, depending on the methodof play desired for the wagering game where the rank of the further cardof the player is equal in rank to that of the dealer further card. Inone embodiment, there is the further step of dealing additional furthercards to each tied player who has made the further wager and dealeruntil one or the other has a card of greater rank than the other in adeal and therefore wins the further bet. In a second embodiment,favoring the player, there is the step of paying off of the further betto each tied player so that each tied player therefore wins the furtherbet when the further cards tie. As a third embodiment, favoring thedealer, there is the step of paying off of the further bet to the dealerso that the dealer therefore wins the further bet when the further cardstie.

In one embodiment of playing the wagering game of the presentdisclosure, the wagering of the further bet step includes the step ofaccepting only further wagers of equal or lesser value than the antewager of the particular player. With such a step, the paying off of theante bet to the player step preferably includes the step of paying backto the player an amount equal to the ante bet of that player and thepaying back to the player a payoff of at least 1.5:1 of any further betwhich is won by the player.

To provide for further betting, the method of the present game may alsoinclude the step of wagering a tie bet by the player at the same timethat the ante bet is wagered. Then, after the first determining step,the tie bet is paid off to the player if the rank of the card of thedealer is equal to the rank of the card of the player making the tiebet. Preferably, the paying off of the tie bet includes the step ofpaying back to the player a payoff of at least 8:1 of the tie bet.

To add more suspense to the game, the dealing of at least one furthercard step includes the step of dealing at least one burn or face downcard before dealing the further card to each player and the dealer. Inaddition, the dealing of at least one further card step includes thestep of selecting the number of burn cards to deal by use of a chancegenerating mechanism, such as the randomly displayed numbers generatedfor Pai Gow poker by an automated system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,275,411 (Breeding). That format can be used, with fewer numbers than 7numbers preferred, such as 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4) to indicate how many cardswill be burned before dealing the at least one further card to theplayer and/or the at least one further card to the dealer.

If desired, the wagering game could also include the step of wagering anassociation bet (either a mandatory or optional bet) by any player atthe same time that the ante bet is wagered. Then, after the firstdetermining step, there would be a step of paying off of the associationbet to the player if there is a predetermined association between thecard of the dealer and the card of the player making the associationbet, such as the same suit, the same rank, a straight, a pair, a 2-card20 or 21 or a straight flush. It is an aspect of the present game toprovide additional opportunities for new wagers in addition to thosefound in the existing Casino War® games.

In addition, as the dealer determines whether the player wins or losesthe ante bet, the dealer also determines if the player made a tie bet.If a tie bet was made and the rank of the card of the player and dealerare equal (note that the player loses the ante bet as described above),the player wins the tie bet and the dealer immediately pays off the tiebet. The payoff of the tie bet is preferably set at a relatively highamount in view of the low odds of winning such a bet by the player, witha minimum of about 8:1 and preferably about 10:1 used in accordance withthe present invention. With odds of 10:1, the dealer hold percentage ontie bets would be about 17.83%, as ties would only occur about 7.47% ofthe time.

When a tie does occur, and after all of the ante bets and tie bets arepaid off, the dealer will then also offer the tying player(s) the optionof making a further bet in area 12 (now cleared). This offer of afurther bet is made regardless of whether a tie bet was made by thetying player. The further bet is limited to an amount equal to or lessthan the ante bet, and has a payoff at least equal to about 1.5:1. Itwill be appreciated that any payoff greater than 1:1 (or 1:0747:1 ifties go to the dealer) on the further bet will mean that the odds are inthe favor of the player. Thus, a payoff of at least 1.5:1 significantlyencourages the players to make further bets and stimulates interest inthe game.

The player may be prompted to make a selection between SURRENDER andWAR, adding wagered amounts, if desired, on the second event. The systemmay default to a continued bet on the amount originally wagered afterthe time period has elapsed, or default to a SURRENDER or WAR at a fixedadditional amount (an increase of one more of the initial wager or more)and the game automatically continues. The amount of time for wageringmay be set by the house, or the player may have control within limits(e.g., 5 to 20 seconds) for setting the time between events. Less timeis likely too short a time period and longer times decrease houserevenues.

To determine the winner of the further bet, the dealer then deals anadditional face up card to each player making such a further bet and tohimself. As is traditional with the “war” game, the face up card can bedealt after first “burning” or dealing three (or some otherpredetermined number) face down cards. After dealing the further cards,the dealer then determines whether the further card of each player has arank greater than, less than, or equal to that of the dealer. If therank of the further card of the player is less than that of the dealer,the player loses and the dealer collects the further bet from area 12.On the other hand, if the rank of the card of the player is greater thanthat of the dealer, the player wins and the dealer immediately pays theplayer an amount which in this embodiment is equal to at least 1.5 timesthe further bet of that player.

It will be appreciated that it is also possible for the further cards ofthe player and the dealer to be tied. In such situations, three choicesare possible and the one chosen will depend on how the dealer (or casinoowner) wants to have the method of the game proceed. If it is desired tospeed up play, the tie of the further cards can be designated as a winto the player (to increase the odds for the player winning a furtherbet), or to the dealer (to lower the odds for the player winning thefurther bet, but with the overall odds still much in the player'sfavor). As a third option, another round of further cards could be dealtand the winner determined by that round, or succeeding rounds (in caseof further ties) until either the player or dealer is a winner. Whileaccommodations could be made for receiving further bets after a tie on afirst further bet, this would probably complicate the game to a greaterdegree than desired and also slow up play that would not be desired.Therefore, the preferred embodiment of the wagering game of the presentinvention would provide for only one further bet. After more than onetie, the player may elect to surrender his cards and withdraw an amountof his wager that is less than the entire wager. Ordinarily, a surrenderbet in blackjack must always be exactly one-half the total wageroriginally placed, but the mathematics are different in Casino War®games. It would be advantageous to the house to allow the player tosurrender and forfeit less than half, but at least some of the originalante wager or the total wager can be made at that point, such as 51%-99%of those wagers. Most likely, the player may be allowed to withdrawpercentages in steps of 5% such as 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, 65%,60% 55% or 50% of the wager, leaving the reminder for the house tocollect. This surrender, or any surrender wager, must be made before thedealer's card and/or the player's card is exposed.

As the odds are in the favor of the player when a further bet is made(due to the increased payoff), this will lower the overall dealer holdpercentage. However, as the opportunity for further bets will beavailable only infrequently (i.e., about 7.47% of the time) and eventhough such further bets will almost always be made when the opportunitypresents itself (in view of the odds being in favor of the player forthat wager), there is only a relatively small reduction in the overalldealer hold percentage for the dealer. For example, in the situationwhere the further bet payoff is 2:1 and the dealer wins and/or ties onthe further bet, the player hold percentage for the further bet itselfis about 38.9%. However, as this occurs only infrequently, the overalldealer hold percentage is only reduced by about 2.9% (i.e., 38.9% times7.47%). Therefore, using the dealer hold percentage of 7.47% mentionedabove, there is obviously still a definite advantage of about 4.6% tothe dealer.

Depending on the desires of the dealer, or if used in a casino thecasino owner (or gaming commission which controls the overall holdpercentage of the casino), the odds can be adjusted as desired. Forexample, while the minimum payoffs for the tie wager have been suggestedas 8:1, and preferably 10:1, this payoff could be made as high asdesired (even positive for the player, such as 15:1). Similarly, thepayoffs for the further bets could be some other ratio, besides the1.5:1 or 2:1 mentioned, such as or 2.5:1. The only limiting factor wouldhave to be that the payoffs for all bets remains in the favor of thedealer or house (assuming that having an overall winning amount isdesired).

While the determination of the number of face down cards dealt for eachfurther bet can be predetermined, it would also be possible for thenumber to be determined each time a further bet (or round of furtherbets) is made. For example, some suitable chance generating mechanismsuch as a six-faced die could be used to chose between zero to five facedown cards or between one to three (with each number appearing on twofaces). If desired, there could even be a separately colored die for thetied player or players each round and one for the dealer so that thenumber of face down cards of the players could be different from thoseof the dealer. In such a situation, the first tied player would throwboth dies to determine the number of face down cards for the player(s)and the dealer. Such a chance generating mechanism also adds anadditional security feature into the play of the game which may beimportant for casino operators.

In addition to the bets noted above, it would also be possible toprovide additional no-rank cards to the shoe so that a separate wagercould also be made on whether a (or two) no-rank card would be dealt (toa player, to any player, to the dealer, or to any participant). Such awagering method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,107, which is herebyincorporated by reference. This patent also discloses the use of anassociation wager that could be used with the present game where the betwould be that there would be some predetermined association of the cardsbetween the player and the dealer. For example, that the cards would beof the same suit or in order. Similarly, the use of a progressivejackpot as disclosed in the patent could also be adapted to the presentwagering game if desired.

As another variation, the present wagering game could also be played asa player banked card game with a kind of poker betting. In thisembodiment, each player would initially wager an ante and the dealer(chosen on a rotating basis) would deal each player one card face down.Then, the first player to the dealer's left for example, would have theoption of making an initial wager. If an initial wager were not made,then each player in turn would have the option of making an initialwager. After an initial wager is made, each succeeding player would theneither call, fold or raise the previous wager in the same manner as inpoker games. At the conclusion of the betting, the remaining playerswould disclose their cards with the highest rank card being the winner.Any ties for the highest rank (winning) card would be played out in afurther deal or “war” between the tied players, including furtherbetting in the same manner as noted above for the initial deal.

There are side bet features additionally provided herein to increase theinterest in the Casino War® game that are not disclosed in the priorart. Those features are:

-   -   1) Surrender feature on at least the first cards—either upon        seeing one of the dealer's card and the player's card or after a        tie.    -   2) Victory Bonus wager—A bet that a player will win by a        significant margin. If the player making the wager beats the        dealer by at least a predetermined minimum spread (e.g., at        least 5 or at least 6 or more points) without going to war then        the player making the wager wins this side bet. The larger the        spread, the more the player wins.    -   3) Fortune of War™ bet—that the total point count of the first        player and dealer cards are within a specific range of ranks.        This may be played without regard to a player winning, losing or        tying, or odds may be adjusted to apply only when winning, only        when losing, only when tying, or specific combinations of these.        These side bets may be mandatory but in one example are        optional, and are in addition to the possibility of wagering on        the basic game and on tie events. It is also possible to use        specialty cards or jokers for additional side events such as        described herein. For example, with one or more jokers inserted        into a set of cards, a joker dealt to the dealer as a first card        may immediately result in a dealer win, while a joker on the        first player or dealer card will always result in a tie game in        which the player is required to place an additional wager for        the tie event. In the tie competition, a joker to either player        or dealer may automatically result in a push or another tie        event. If both the dealer and player receive jokers, it may be        declared a win for the player at any stage of competition and        even require a 3/2 payout to the player on at least the ante        wager and possibly all wagers at that stage of play, or some        other event outcome required as a game rule.

The following information on the play of this game could be provided inthe following format as a rack card or rule sheet for the game. The oddsprovided may be varied to adjust the house advantage or player advantagein the game, and minor variations in the rules may be made for a likeresult.

Casino War® Casino Game

Casino War® casino game is an exciting card game which is fast and easyto understand. Simply place a bet and if your card is higher than thedealer's you win even money. It also comes with a variety of interestingside bets, some paying as much as 50:1. You can bet that you'll win by asignificant margin with Victory Bonus™ wagers, that the dealer's cardand your own will be a pair with “Bet the Set” wagers, and on the totalof those two cards with Fortunes of War side bet wager.

The Return to Player for Casino War® casino game and its side bets rangefrom 86.743% to 97.123%.

Playing the Game

-   -   1. Casino War is played with 1 to 6 or more standard decks,        shuffled before each game.    -   2. The player places at least an ante bet to begin the game.    -   3. The player and the dealer each receive a face up card. If the        player's card is higher than the dealer's then the player wins        even money. If the dealer's card is higher then the player loses        the ante bet.    -   4. If the cards tie then the player has the following options:    -   Surrender—Forfeit half or less than half the player's Ante bet.    -   Go to War—Double (or otherwise increase, within a predefined        range, such as 0.5 to 5×) the player's ante bet. The player        places the additional war wager and the dealer and player will        each receive another card.    -   If the new card is higher than or ties with the dealer's new        card, the player recovers the ante bet and additional wager at        1:1 odds (or other special adjusted odds for tie events        pre-established by the casino) wins an amount equal to the        original bet. If the dealer's new card is higher than the        player's new card, then the player loses both the Ante and War        bets.        Because the player wins on a tie after going to war, the player        will win more often than he loses. The overall Return to Players        for Casino War with these rules ranges from about 96.302% to        97.123%.        Victory Bonus

This is a side bet that the player will win (or alternatively, that thedealer will win) by a significant, predefined margin or spread. If theplayer beats the dealer by 6 or more points without going to war, thenthe player wins this side bet. The larger the spread, the more theplayer wins.

To determine the margin, an Ace is equal to 14, a King is equal to 13, aQueen is equal to 12, and a Jack is equal to 11. Won by Pays 6 1:1 7 2:18 4:1 6:1 10 or more 10:1 The Return to Player of this bet is 89.636%“Bet the Set” Side Bet Wager

This is a side bet that the dealer's card and the player's card will bea pair (i.e., will tie). A pair of the same suit receives a higherprize. This bet does not apply to cards received after going to war.Hand Pay Pair 10:1 Pair of same suit 15:1The Return to Player of this bet is 89.389%“Fortunes of War” Side Bet Wager

This side bet wager adds the ranks of the first card the player and thedealer receive together and the player selects a range from among anumber of ranges covering a total range of at least a total point numberbetween 4 and 28. The player places a bet on one of the ranges below towin the corresponding prize if the total rank of the two cards falls inthat range. To determine the total rank or total point count, thefollowing ranks are used: Ace=14, King=13, Queen=12, and Jack=11. If ajoker or specialty card is used, that card may be given anypredetermined value, with 0, 7 or 14, being preferred values for thejoker or specialty card. Total rank Pays 4-5 50:1 6-7 20:1 8-9 13:110-11  9:1 12-14  4:1 15-17  3:1 18-20  4:1 21-22  9:1 23-24 13:1 25-2620:1 27-28 50:1The Return to Player on these bets ranges from 86.743% to 91.071% withthe ranges applying to all game outcomes, such as wins, losses, ties andwar events. This side bet may be played without regard to a playerwinning, losing or tying, or odds may be adjusted to apply only whenwinning, only when losing, only when tying, or specific combinations ofthese. For example, the ranges may apply to only tying and winning(Player) events, and in this instance, the odds could be increased. Oddswould be adjusted for each type of combination event allowed within thedefinition of winning events.

The games of the present invention may be implemented as a live tablegame, as a television or cable game show game, as a video poker gamingmachine game, as a hand-held game for play, as a game executed on amultiple player interactive wagering platform game (with kiosk formats,single player screens, community screens, and/or banks of seats forplayers with a common dealer screen), as a cell phone game, as a gamedownloadable from the internet, as a parlor game, as a game executed ona personal computer, as a palm pilot game, as a play station game, andthe like. Each of the above game applications is contemplated by thepresent invention.

An alternative electronic gaming system that can be used to practice themethod of the present invention comprises a table and a dealer “virtual”video display system positioned for view by players seated at the table.One such system is marketed under the name Table Master™. The table mayseat at least two players up to the amount of players that can beconfigured about the table and have a view of the dealer video displaysystem. Typically each gaming system will have at least four playeravailable positions, with space determinations considered as to whetherthere would be 4, 5, 6 or 7 player positions. It is possible to have acompletely circular dealer display (e.g., holographic display in acylindrical centerpiece) and have players distributed around the entireperiphery, but this is too dissimilar to standard play arrangements andcould slow the game down, as play should approximate that of a livegame, with players playing in sequence. A surface of the table willinclude a common display surface for showing all player hands, communitycards, dealer hands and any other cards used to play the game for anypurpose. The common display may also include credits wagered, side betwager placement, betting limits, and the like. A large portion of thetable surface comprises a video monitor in one example of the invention.The table surface may also include individual player screens with touchscreen controls and/or player control panels at each player station nearthe common display surface. Cards on the common display surface may bereadily viewed by other players at a table, which is standard in tablegames and adds to player enjoyment. The use of a large common displayscreen display also allows for better animation to be provided, such asdisplaying virtual images of cards moving to the player and “virtual”chips being placed on the table when wagers are indicated. For purposesof this disclosure, the term “virtual” means a graphical videorepresentation of a real object or person, such as a dealer, cards andchips, for example.

The individual player positions preferably have a separate intelligenceat each player position that accepts player input and communicatesdirectly with a game engine (main game computer or processor). Theintelligence is preferably an intelligent board that can processinformation. For purposes of this disclosure the term “intelligent”refers to the ability to execute code, either provided in the form ofsoftware or hardware circuits. Such processing may at least comprisesome of signal converting (e.g., signals from player card readers,credit deposit, currency readers, coin readers, touch screen signals,control panel signals) into a signal that can be included in aninformation packet and interpreted by the main game computer when thesignal is sent. Communication between the intelligence at each playerposition is direct to the main game computer and may be byself-initiated signal sending, sequenced polling by the main gamecomputer (e.g., each position communicates directly to the main gamecomputer in turn), timed communication, or any other order ofcommunication that is direct between the intelligence and the main gamecomputer.

One preferred form of communication between the main game computer andplayer station computers is by means of self-initiated signal sending.There is essentially a single main game computer that contains videodisplay controls and programs for both the dealer display and the tabletop display, audio controls and programs, game rules (including storageof multiple games if intended to be available on the machine), randomnumber generator, graphic images, game sequence controls, securitysystems, wager accounting programs, external signaling and auditfunctions, and the like. In other forms of the invention, the abovefunctions are divided between a main processor and one or moreadditional processors. The intelligence at each player position speedsup the performance of all aspects of the game by being able tocommunicate directly with the main game computer and being able toprocess information at the player position rather than merely forwardingthe information in raw form to the main game computer. Processing playerinformation at player positions frees up resources for use by the mainprocessor or processors.

A card game system may also include a suitable data and controlprocessing subsystem that is largely contained within a main controlmodule supported beneath the tabletop. The control and data processingsubsystem includes a suitable power supply for converting alternatingcurrent from the power main as controlled by a main power switch. Thepower supply transforms the alternating line current to a suitablevoltage and to a direct current supply. Power is supplied to a powerdistribution and sensor/activity electronics control circuit.Commercially available power switching and control circuits may beprovided in the form of a circuit board which is detachable, and plugsinto a board receptacle of a computer mother board or an expansion slotboard receptacle. A main game controller motherboard may include acentral microprocessor and related components well-known in the industryas computers using Intel brand Pentium® microprocessors and relatedmemory or intelligence from any other manufacturing source. A variety ofdifferent configurations and types of memory devices can be connected tothe motherboard as is well known in the art. Of particular interest isthe inclusion of two flat panel display control boards connected inexpansion slots of the motherboard. Display control boards are eachcapable of controlling the images displayed for the dealer video displayand for each of the player position display areas on the continuousdisplay screen on the table and other operational parameters of thevideo displays used in the gaming system. More specifically, the displaycontrol boards are connected to player bet interfaces circuits for theplayer stations. This arrangement also allows the display control boardsto provide necessary image display data to the display electronic drivecircuits associated with the dealing event program displays and thedealer display.

The motherboard and/or the individual player intelligent boards alsoincludes a serial port that allows stored data to be downloaded from themotherboard to a central casino computer or other additional storagedevice. In one example, each player board communicates directly with thecasino computer system. This allows card game action data to be analyzedin various ways using added detail, or by providing integration withdata from multiple tables so that cheating schemes can be identified andeliminated, and player tracking can be maintained. Player performanceand/or skill can be tracked at one table or as a compilation from gamingat multiple tables, as by using Bloodhound™ security software marketedby Shuffle Master, Inc., which may be incorporated into this automatedgaming system. Additionally, player hand analysis can be performed. Themotherboard and/or individual player intelligent boards may also have akeyboard connection port that can be used to connect a larger formatkeyboard to the system to facilitate programming and servicing of thesystem.

Although the preferred system shown does not require featuresillustrated for receiving automated player identification information,such features can alternatively be provided. Card readers such as usedwith credit cards, or other identification code reading devices can beadded in the system to allow or require player identification inconnection with play of the card game and associated recording of gameaction by one of the processors. Such a user identification interface,for example a card reader located at each player station, can beimplemented in the form of a variety of magnetic card readerscommercially available for reading user-specific identificationinformation. The user-specific information can be provided on speciallyconstructed magnetic cards issued by a casino, or magnetically codedcredit cards or debit cards frequently used with national creditorganizations such as VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, casino playercard registry, banks and other institutions. The information could alsobe provided on other writable media, such as an RFID chip with writablememory, or bar coding, as just a few examples.

Alternatively, it is possible to use so-called smart cards to provideadded processing or data storage functions in addition to mereidentification data. For example, the user identification could includecoding for available credit amounts purchased from a casino. As furtherexample, the identification card or other user-specific instrument mayinclude specially coded data indicating security information such aswould allow accessing or identifying stored security information whichmust be confirmed by the user after scanning the user identificationcard through a card reader. Such security information might include suchthings as file access numbers which allow the central processor toaccess a stored security clearance code which the user must indicateusing input options provided on displays using touch screen displays. Astill further possibility is to have participant identification using afingerprint image, eye blood vessel image reader, or other suitablebiological information to confirm identity of the user that can be builtinto the table. Still further it is possible to provide such participantidentification information by having the pit personnel manually code inthe information in response to the player indicating his or her codename or real name. Such additional identification could also be used toconfirm credit use of a smart card or transponder. All or part of thefunctions dedicated to a particular player station are controlled by theplayer station intelligence in one form of the invention. Additionally,each player station intelligence may be in communication with a casinoaccounting system.

It should also be understood that the continuous screen canalternatively be provided with suitable display cowlings or covers thatcan be used to shield display of card images from viewing by anyoneother than the player in games where that is desirable. This shieldingcan also be effected by having light-orientation elements in the panel,and some of these light-orientation elements are electronicallycontrollable. In this manner, the processor can allow general viewing ofcards in games where that is desirable or tolerated, and then alter thescreen where desired. These types of features can be provided bynanometer, micrometer or other small particulate or flake elementswithin a panel on the viewing area that are reoriented by signals fromthe processor. Alternatively, liquid crystal or photo chromatic displayscan be used to create a screening effect that would allow only viewersat specific angles of view from the screen area to view the images ofcards. Such an alternative construction may be desired in systemsdesigned for card games different from blackjack, where some or all ofthe player or dealer cards are not presented for viewing by otherparticipants or onlookers. Such display covers or cowlings can be invarious shapes and configurations as needed to prevent viewing access.It may alternatively be acceptable to use a player-controlled switchthat allows the display to be momentarily viewed and then turned off.The display can be shielded using a cover or merely by using theplayer's hands. Still further it is possible to use a touch screendisplay that would be controlled by touch to turn on and turn off.Similar shielding can be used to prevent others from viewing thedisplay.

While the present invention has been described with respect to exemplaryembodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill inthe art that other variations and modifications can be effected withinthe scope and spirit of the invention.

1. A method of playing a casino game with playing cards comprising: aplayer placing at least an ante wager; the ante wager for each playerbeing resolved on the basis of the relative rank of a first playing carddealt to the player and a first playing card dealt to the dealer; theplayer winning on the ante wager if the player's first card rank ishigher than the dealer's first card rank, the player losing the antewager if the player's first card relative rank is lower than thedealer's first card rank, and entering a tie hand competition event ifthe player's first card rank and the dealer's first card rank are thesame; wherein the player has the ability to place at least one side betwager before seeing both the dealer's first card and the player's firstcard on an event selected from the group consisting of: a) the totalcombined point count for the player's first card and the dealer's firstcard is within a player selected range of at least two total point countranges from which the player may select; and b) that the spread in pointcount between the dealer's first card and the player's first card willexceed a minimum difference.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the playerplaces a side bet that the total point count for the player's first cardand the dealer's first card are within a player selected range of atleast three total point count ranges from which the player may select.3. The method of claim 1 wherein the player places a side bet that thespread in point count between the dealer's first card and the player'sfirst card will exceed a minimum difference.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein multiple decks of playing cards are used to provide the player'scards and the dealer's cards and a side bet is available that includes awinning outcome if the player's card and the dealer's card have the samerank and suit.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein in the tie event theplayer places an additional wager at risk in the game and a second cardis provided to the player and a second card is provided to the dealerand the player winning on the additional wager and the ante wager if theplayer's second card relative rank is higher than the dealer's secondcard rank, the player losing the additional wager and the ante wager ifthe player's second card relative rank is lower than the dealer's secondcard rank, and entering a tie hand competition event if the player'ssecond card rank and the dealer's second card rank are the same.
 6. Themethod of claim 5 wherein a tie event on the player's second card isresolved by allowing the player to surrender at most 50% of total playerwagers.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein the tie event on the secondplayer's card is resolved by declaring a push on all wagers.
 8. Themethod of claim 5 wherein the tie event on the second player's card isresolved by allowing the player to surrender less than 50% of totalplayer wagers.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein a player has anotherside bet available in which a wager may be made that the player's cardand the dealer's card will be the same rank, and the wager offering oddson the wager of at least 6:1.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein theanother side bet available includes an award when the player's firstcard and the dealer's first card are the same rank and suit.
 11. Amethod of playing a wagering game between a player or a group ofrespective players and a dealer whose outcome is determined by randomlygenerated playing cards having various values comprising the steps of:arranging only one single stack of playing cards; wagering an ante betby the or each player; dealing of only one card successively from thesingle stack of playing cards only to the or each player and to thedealer by the dealer; determining whether the card of the dealer has agreater value, a lesser value or an equal value to that of the or eachplayer; paying off of the ante bet to (a) the or each player if thevalue of the card of the or each player is greater than the value of thecard of the dealer, or (b) the dealer if the value of the card of thedealer is greater than or equal to the value of the card of the or eachplayer; and if the value of the card of the dealer equals that of anyplayer, wagering of a further bet by the or each tied player, dealingsuccessively from the stack at least one further card only to the oreach tied player and to the dealer, and determining whether the furthercard of the dealer has a greater value, a lesser value or an equal valueto the further card of the or each tied player, and paying off of thefurther bet to (a) the or each tied player if the value of the furthercard of the or each tied player is greater than the value of the card ofthe dealer, or (b) the dealer if the value of the card of the dealer isgreater than the value of the card of the or each tied player; whereinthe player has the ability to place at least one side bet wager beforeseeing both the dealer's first card and the player's first card on anevent selected from the group consisting of: a) the total point countfor the player's first card and the dealer's first card are within aplayer selected range of at least two total point count ranges fromwhich the player may select; and b) that the spread in point countbetween the dealer's first card and the player's first card will exceeda minimum difference.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the playerplaces a side bet that the total point count for the player's first cardand the dealer's first card are within a player selected range of atleast three total point count ranges from which the player may select.13. The method of claim 11 wherein the player places a side bet that themargin of difference in point count between the dealer's first card andthe player's first card will exceed a minimum difference.
 14. The methodof claim 111 wherein multiple decks of playing cards are used to providethe player's cards and the dealer's cards and a side bet is availablethat includes a winning outcome if the player's card and the dealer'scard have the same rank and suit.
 15. The method of claim 11 wherein inthe tie event the player places an additional wager at risk in the gameand a second card is provided to the player and a second card isprovided to the dealer and the player winning on the additional wagerand the ante wager if the player's second card rank is higher than thedealer's second card rank, the player losing the additional wager andthe ante wager if the player's second card rank is lower than thedealer's second card rank, and entering a tie hand competition event ifthe player's second card rank and the dealer's second card rank are thesame.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein available playing cards includeat least one joker and the presence of a joker as the player's firstcard or the dealer's first card can cause a game ending result.
 17. Themethod of claim 1 wherein available playing cards include at least onejoker and the presence of a joker as the player's first card or thedealer's first card can cause a game ending result.
 18. The method ofclaim 1 played on an electronic system using a processor to determinecards dealt and winning outcomes.
 19. The method of claim 1 played on acasino table with physical cards and a live dealer.
 20. A gamingapparatus comprising a processor, video monitor and player inputcontrols wherein the processor enables play of a method comprising aplayer placing at least an ante wager; the ante wager for each playerbeing resolved on the basis of the relative rank of a first playing carddealt to the player and a first playing card dealt to a dealer hand; theplayer winning on the ante wager if the player's first card relativerank is higher than the dealer's hand first card rank, the player losingthe ante wager if the player's first card relative rank is lower thanthe dealer's hand first card rank, and entering a tie hand competitionevent if the player's first card rank and the dealer's hand first cardrank are the same; wherein the player has the ability to input at leastone side bet wager through the player input controls before seeing boththe dealer's first card and the player's first card on the monitor in anevent selected from the group consisting of: a) the total point countfor the player's first card and the dealer's first card are within aplayer selected range of at least two total point count ranges fromwhich the player may select; and b) that spread in point count betweenthe dealer's first card and the player's first card will exceed aminimum difference.
 21. A multi-player platform that provides multipleplayer positions for live players to engage in an interactive casinotable card game with a virtual dealer and virtual cards comprising atleast two player positions that enable live players to place wagers onan underlying card game, a display system for showing a virtual dealer,a display system for showing at least the virtual cards used in play ofthe underlying card game, and a processor that contains the rules of theunderlying card game, the processor enabling play for each player on theunderlying card game according to the method of play of claim
 1. 22. Amulti-player platform that provides multiple player positions for liveplayers to engage in a casino table card game with a virtual dealer andvirtual cards comprising at least two player positions that enable liveplayers to place wagers on an underlying card game, a display system forshowing a virtual dealer, a display system for showing at least thevirtual cards used in play of the underlying poker-type game, and aprocessor that contains the rules of the underlying card game, theprocessor enabling play for each player on the underlying card gameaccording to the following rules with a virtual single, typicalfifty-two card poker deck, the cards having standard rank and value,said game played according to the method of claim 1.